Dust
by AngeliqueOleander69
Summary: Take out the picture, blow off the dust. Take off the frame, it's starting to rust. Remember the times we had together? What happened to being Best Friends Forever? Jade/Cat Friendship only but interpret as you like. R/R please.


**AN:  
**

**Hey Guys, **

**So I haven't posted in a while, but this has been eating away at me for a while so I finally sat down to write it. Anyway, I don't know too terribly much about Victorious, but the story worked best for the characters. Sorry if ppl are a little OOC... But now about the story. So this story is about being replaced as a best friend and that seems to be a reoccurring theme in my life. So far its happened twice, one rather recently. And idk if any of y'all know about it, but it hurts like a mother f-er. So I'm writing this instead. Technically this should be dedicated to the two of you, you should both know who you are, but I really doubt either will ever read this. But in case y'all do, cheers to you mate, and the pain we shared. Or maybe I'm just hoping you guys shared. To the rest of you, I love you for reading, and enjoy.  
**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious and/or its characters.  
**

It wasn't fair.

Jade skulked through the halls of Hollywood Arts. It was after the last bell had already rung and she walked her usual route to the parking lot. However, she was missing her red haired best friend, who usually trotted along side her, talking endlessly. They'd usually be engrossed in their conversation from last period, commenting what had gone on in class, or figuring out their plans for the weekend. Usually her friend had already planned on going to a party on Saturday, movie on Sunday followed by the customary dinner at the burger place next to the theater. Usually. But not today. Maybe not ever again.

_It wasn't fair. _Jade thought morosely , _She was my best friend first, just mine. No more than that: a sister. Maybe not in blood, but we share something more than friendship. Or shared anyway. _

The dark haired girl lamented about the day's events: A new girl had arrived to HA and everyone had fawned over her perfection, dark eyes sparkled, light brown hair tossed over a shoulder, and the crowd was hers. Everybody was. Jade's friends were. Cat was.

Jade disliked her from the start. _What kind of girl just walks in and is automatically given her own paparazzi? _ Jade hated this new girl.

At lunch Cat, Jade, Beck, Andre and Robbie (although, no one invited him) sat down at their regular table outside. Regular conversation ensued, laughter bubbled, and all the teens were having a great day. Beck slid his hand into Jades, what was resting on her thigh. His girlfriend smiled warmly at Beck. He was one of the few she did, along with (most) everyone else at the table. The lunch hour went pretty regularly until the ADD girl at the table stumbled onto the topic of the newcomer.

"Hey have you guys seen the new girl, Tori? Shes so pretty and perfect! And that song she did at the talent show, wasn't that awesome? She has like the best voice! Wait, there she is,aww. She doesn't have anybody to sit with...We should invite her over here! TORI! HEY TOOORRRIIIII!" _Typical Cat. _Jade thought as she sunk her head down to the table and her friend tried to flag down the new arrival.

"Hey, uh Cat? Can we not and say we didn't? " Jade asked.

" Not what?" Came the perky remark from the other brunette.

_Great. _Jade thought caustically. _Perfect. _

Robbie smiled awkwardly, Beck gave a little wave as Andre moved over to make room for the girl and said " Uh, ignore her. I'm Andre, this is Beck, Robbie next to him, and little red over there is Cat and she's-"

"Leaving. Bye." Jade interrupted Andre, getting up from the table.

"Okaaayyyy... she's friendly." The new one, Tori commented.

After lunch, Jade discovered the joy of having an enemy in every single class. Cat and she shared all periods also, so it wasn't too bad.

Until it was.

In 5th period, chemistry, Tori, obnoxiously, sat at their table. Cat and the girl chatted noisily until class began.

"Today we are learning about molality, molarity, colligative properties and how to find them. Get into pairs, get your materials and you'll find the instructions on the board." The teacher announced.

"Cat?" Jade spoke to grab her attention.

The red head looked up at Jade and sheepishly looked away. " I, uh... I kinda asked Tori to be my partner ... but just for today!" Tori stood next to Cat and looked apologetic. _Snob._

So Jade did the experiment on her own. And when the bell rang walked to her next class. Alone. And again the next period. Again next class.

Jade hadn't so much as spoken to Cat since 5th period. In any class they had, Tori would block her off from her best friend, saying she needed help or didn't know where something was or another 'reason'. Always another reason.

_Maybe its unintentional. Maybe she's such an idiot she doesn't know what shes doing. Or maybe she needs to be taught her place. _Jade shook her head. _Probably not good to think the worst of things. That leads to violence, and as awesome as that sounds, wouldn't help. I'll just ask Cat tonight at Nozu. _

That's what she'd do. No better way to have a heart to heart than over sushi.

_Some day that was. _Jade had now passed the first row of cars, while getting lost in her thoughts.

That night, at 7:12( the usual time) the brunette walked into the sushi place. _Its so preppy and colorful, its a good thing the food's good. _Jade thought darkly, plopping into the usual booth. She looked around. No Cat. Cat was never late. Not to these.

Every Monday at 7:12 they meet at Nozu. It wasn't a secret to anybody. That's what they did. And in the years since they'd done it in 6th grade, Cat had never been late.

But Jade knew she'd come. She always had.

Ten miles away, at the new girl house Cat and Tori sat watching TV.

Jade would end up waiting till they closed at midnight, 4 hours later. But Jade wouldn't know where the girl was. Where her best friend was. Well, not her best friend anymore.

Some time later this memory would come to mind. And Jade would be bothered by a_ reoccurring thought:

_When did my best friend become _Tori's_?_

Months later, when jade was cleaning out her room, for lack of a better thing to do, she came across a box of her old things hidden under her bed.In said box, there were few things of interest: an old movie stub, the pocket watch from her grandpa, a wristband from her appendectomy in 3rd grade. But the most interesting thing in that collection was the simple metal frame she found buried under it all.

It was nothing spectacular, a simple silver holder with stickers of cartoon characters peeling up. Jade fondly fingered the curling stickers, remembering the good old days of television. Over the years, she assumed it had been years, a thin layer of filth had collected on the memories.

Jade puffed a breath of air, and blew off the dust. Beneath the grime, rust of the frame hid the picture from view, the metal in the frame obviously older than she originally thought. Jade took the back from the frame and took out the picture, flipping it over to inspect it further.

The photograph was a scene unaffected by the past couple of months. Frozen in time, a wild haired Jade stood to the left of a kid Cat, forever immortalized there together. In the photo, a 6 year-old Cat sat on the curb, dripping orange Popsicle down her chin, hair caught in the sticky mess of her cheeks and gooey pinkies gripping to that of her best friends. In front of the curb, Jade stood beaming at the camera and her mother behind it. The bliss and ignorance from that moment in time stole through the picture, and jammed into Jade's heart.

A silver tear made its way down the teenager's face. She remembered the promise that had they made shortly before the shot was taken. A promise of a bond. A promise of eternity. The promise of being best friends forever.

The dust settled and Jade was left alone to remember.

**Okay, so that hit a little close to home in the end, but I based it off of this poem thinggy:  
**

**_Take out the picture, blow off the dust  
Take off the frame, it's starting to rust  
Remember the times we had together  
What happened to being Best Friends Forever_**

**_Anyway, thanks for reading! please review, it makes my day. Criticism is welcomed. _**

**_~Angel  
_**


End file.
